Tony Soprano loves animals, probably more than people. He goes through serious distress when a family of ducks that had been living in his pool leave. But no animal gets closer to Tony's heart than his horse, Pie-O-My, even if the horse had really been Ralph Cifaretto's (Joe Pantoliano). Ralph's a good earner, and a decent enough boyfriend to Jackie Aprile's widow.
Yet Ralph's also erratic and violent, harboring resentment that he's not even a capo while his old friend's a boss, and quick to make rude comments or, for example, beat to death the 21-year-old stripper who's pregnant with his kid. One comment about New York underboss Johnny Sack's wife leads Sack to ask for a hit on Ralph.
Pie-O-My becomes a big earner for Tony and Ralph after Tony gives Ralph some racing tips and in turn Ralph gives him partial ownership. Tony falls in love with the horse but Ralph only sees it as a way of making money. He gets in a pinch and Pie-O-My's stable is burned down, fatally injuring the horse. Tony accuses Ralph of killing the horse for insurance money, and Ralph all but admits it, leading to a fight in which Tony kills the man with his own hands.
Not only does he lose a good earner, it also creates mistrust, with the crew wondering about a boss who kills a higher-up over a horse. But since everybody hated Ralph anyway, his death ends up being a good thing.
